Infinite Stratos: XCOM
by The Black Guard
Summary: Everyone knows that Infinite Stratos can only be piloted by females, right. Apparently not, as Justin has activated and piloted an I. the I.S. Academy, he meets old friends, makes new friends, and even reunites with his mother and younger twin sisters. Unfortunately, fate intervenes in the form of alien invaders. Rated M because of language, gore, and XCOM. OCxRin
1. Chapter 1 Prologue

**A/N: So this is my new crossover story. For those who have read my previous I.S. story, this chapter and the next will look very familiar. Mostly because there are very few changes. Don't worry though, things will pick after Laura is added to the list of heroines. As it is currently past midnight here and I have to get up in only a couple of hours I am only posting this prologue. I'll try to get the next two chapters up tomorrow.**

Prologue Start

Infinite Stratos, a mechanized exo-skeleton, was invented ten years ago. Through tests, it has been shown that the Infinite Stratos, or I.S. for short, can outperform any military in the world. While an exaggeration, that statement is more true than anyone would like to admit. Only other I.S. are capable of defeating an I.S. in single combat. When it was revealed, every nation wanted to get their hands on it. There was only one problem, no one knew how to create the I.S. cores, which provided power and massive computing capability to the I.S., except for its creator, Tabane Shinonono, and she was only willing to create 4,670 cores.

It all started in 2006 with the 'White Knight Incident'. An unknown person or persons, hacked the ICBM's of every nuclear country and launched them all at Japan. There were about 30,000 ICBM's capable of being launched. Luckily, all but about 2,600 were disabled or shot down soon after launch. Twenty-six thousand ICBM's would still be able to destroy Japan, though. With only one hour left before they hit their targets, the White Knight, the first I.S., appeared. In only half an hour, it had destroyed every ICBM heading towards Japan. By this time, the JSDF and America's 7th Fleet had mobilized and launched jets. The pilots were ordered to shoot down any remaining ICMB's and intercept and apprehend the White Knight by any means necessary. It was a one-sided massacre. Every jet was shot down, and over ninety percent of the combined Japanese-American fleet was destroyed. Surprisingly, there were no reported deaths. It was then revealed that the White Knight was an Infinite Stratos.

Within a year, all the first-world countries had received four thousand of the I.S. cores. Of course, nations such as the U.S.A., Russia, and China received more cores than the other nations. Five hundred cores were given to the major companies and corporations. The remaining 170 cores were given to the I.S. Academy after it was founded in 2008.

One interesting piece of information the world discovered was that only females could pilot Infinite Stratos. It is estimated that 50% of the world's females population could activate an I.S., but of that number only 10% would actually be capable of piloting one, and less than 1% of that 10% would ever actually have to opportunity to do so. Because women were the only ones capable of piloting an I.S., the social balance between men and women was turned on its head in favor of women. It became so bad, that in some places, men could supposedly be thrown in prison for not obeying a woman. However **,** it has not been confirmed if that's true.

To show off their newest I.S., the nations that possessed I.S. started a yearly I.S. tournament that they called the Mondo Grosso. The winner of the first Mondo Grosso and runner up to the second was Chifuyu Orimura. Because of this, most I.S. have a "sports" configuration. In only ten years, I.S. have gone from the first generation units to second generation units and even the rare third generation units.

Thanks to the Alaska Treaty preventing Infinite Stratos from being used in war, World War 3 has not broken out, yet. While there are still wars, they are fought "conventionally," though that isn't the same as it was ten years ago. Thanks to advancements made due to the I.S., technology has advanced faster than ever before. There are prototype powered exo-skeletons that anyone can use, and even man-portable Gauss rifles.

This relatively peaceful world ended 10 years after the I.S. was invented.

Prologue End


	2. Chapter 2 The IS Academy

**A/N: Like I promised here is the next chapter. Once again there are only minor changes. Hopefully I can find someone to beta chapter 2, otherwise I'll post it as is. I don't really want to because there are likely several grammar mistakes that I don't see. On that note, would anyone like to beta for me? I can't promise I'll always have internet, but hopefully, when I do, I can have several chapters ready to be proofread. And I would like character bios I.S. pilots. For the I.S. pilots, only females please and also include the I.S. name, Generation, and combat specs. Send these to me in a message. And now the disclaimer since I forgot it on the prologue.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Infinite Stratos in anyway, nor do I own XCOM. XCOM belongs to Fireaxis and Infinite Stratos belongs to** **Izuru Yumizuru. I am not making any profits by writing this story. It is purely for fun.**

The I.S. Academy

My name is Justin Steach. I am 15 years old.

I am going through the worst the day of my life.

Let me explain.

For most of my life, I'd been homeschooled. This year, though, I wanted to go to public school. It would be a lot easier than having him teach me when he got back from work each night, while he'd be tired and ready to relax. That managed to persuade him to enroll me in public school. I had even survived most of the school year.

Due to when school starts in Japan, the I.S. exams always occurred during the last week of March. Being interested in I.S., I went snooping around the gym to find where an entrance so I could watch the tests. While searching, I heard voices that seemed to be coming from a nearby room. I tried to enter to ask if I could watch the tests, but the door was locked. Not wanting to interrupt the conversation the voices were having by knocking, I tried the double doors nearby.

When I opened one of the doors, a sliver of light fell upon an object that immediately caught my attention—an IS. Glancing around the room, I noticed that there weren't actually any people talking in here. Odd. I could have sworn I heard voices. Anyway, this IS really captured my attention. They'd always fascinated me! And then, there, I had the opportunity to examine one up close and personal! I wanted to touch it. So I did.

Worst decision of my life.

I hadn't been expecting anything to happen, so the voice I heard really surprised me.

[ **Pilot Recognition... Complete** ]

Startled, I looked around the room trying to find who spoke when I heard it again.

[ **Registration Complete... Activation Sequence Starting** ].

The next thing I knew, there was a flash of light, and I was in the I.S.. By now, I was freaking out. Then a loudspeaker came on, and said, "Will the next candidate please enter the gym."

Without my input, the I.S. I was in — I recognized it as an Uchigane, the Japanese mass-produced model — entered the gym. Once inside, I saw another I.S. being piloted by someone I assumed was a teacher. I was about to ask for help when the loudspeaker said, "START!"

Suddenly the teacher rushed at me with a katana. Panicking, I hurled myself to the right, narrowly avoiding the slash that would have bisected me from my right shoulder to left hip.

Clambering to my feet, I searched for anything I could use as a weapon. Why they wouldn't equip an I.S. with a weapon I don't know. Finding nothing, I dodged another slash. Still unable to find a weapon, I dodged yet another attack and lunged at the opposing unit.

What I hadn't realized was that the wall was behind us. When I could make out what was around me again, I noticed we had crashed into the wall. Boy, that hurt and I didn't even hit the wall! As I was checking on the teacher to make sure she was okay, I heard a horn go off and the loudspeaker say, "Test over. Congratulations, you pass!"

Not even a minute later, several teachers entered the gym. I wonder if these were the voices I heard before I discovered the I.S.. They began helping the person Ifought out of her I.S. when one approached me. Since they couldn't see my face, they must have assumed I was a girl.

"Well, congratulations on passing. We'll send a letter to the I.S.A. and if you're lucky, you'll be accepted. Now, can you please tell us … your … name- ?" the teacher trailed off upon getting a good look at me.

"Hey, Paul, c'mere. Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" the same teacher asked.

"Yeah, Anne, I'm seeing it and I'm not believing it. Hey, kid, you _are_ a boy, right." Paul asked.

"Yes sir." I replied nervously.

"Anne, go get the principle." Paul ordered.

"Got it." Anne replied.

While waiting for the principle to arrive, Paul helped me out of the I.S. but didn't ask any more questions. I was too nervous to ask any. It wasn't five minutes later, though it felt like much longer, when the principle arrived. He looked directly at me for a few minutes, unnerving me, then started talking to Paul, Anne, and the pilot I defeated before leaving again. They led me out of the gym and into the teacher's lounge and told to wait for the principle. About an hour later, which also felt like it took forever, the principle walked in. He informed me that he had called my father and the governor and told me to wait for my father to arrive. Now I was getting scared. I could understand calling my father, but calling the governor!

It only took Dad half an hour to get to the school. After he was leadto the lounge, he asked what was going on. I nervously explained everything that had happened. To say he was surprised would be an understatement. Soon afterwards, one of the teachers came in. Shetold us we could leave and that the governor would meet us at the Brigadier General's office tomorrow to talk to me.

The next morning, Dad and I went to the Brigadier General's office. There, we met the governor. He proceeded to ask me what had happened yesterday. I explained as best as I could. After I was finished, he told us that he had already watched the security footage of me piloting the I.S. and that my story fit with the video. Before he dismissed us, the governor told us that he was going to tell the president, as this incident was to big for him to handle. We were told that Dad would be called when new information became available.

The entire meeting was nerve-wracking!

That night, Dad told me that we would be leaving for Washington D.C. to meet the president in two days.

Two days later, we woke up bright and early when Secret Service knocked on our door. After dressing quickly, we were ushered into a black car. Three hours later, we arrived at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport and boarded a private jet to D.C. Two and a half hours after that, we touched down in Washington-Dulles airport and were pushed into another black car. It only took us an hour and half to drive to the White House. We were quickly taken to the Oval Office where we met the President.

After exchanging greetings, we got down to business. I thought the President would ask me what happened, but instead told us that he had watched the video and listened to my "interview" with the governor. He proceeded to ask me if there was anything else I would like to add. After thinking for several minutes, I nervously told him that, after having several days to think about it, the voice may have been in my head, thus why no one else heard it, and that I might have subconsciously wanted to enter the gym and pilot the I.S..

After I was finished, the President told us that he had two options. Somehow, knowledge that I could pilot an I.S. had been leaked. Russia was offering twenty million Euros for me, and China was offering to cancel half of the debt America owed them to get me. That was option number one.

The second option was to send me to the I.S. Academy.

Neither choice sounded all that great.

He left the choice to Dad and I. Dad , being the awesome father that he is, told me that since it was my future, he would offer advice, but that he would leave the choice to me. Several nerve wracking minutes later, I made my choice.

"I'll go to the I.S.A. It's better than being sold and probably experimented on." I decided.

Even though I said that, I wasn't quite sure I had made the right choice. Maybe be experimented on would be better than being surrounded by girls.

"Good choice, son. I'll call the Academy and inform them that you will be attending." The President dismissed us.

On our way out, a secretary stopped us and informed us that a hotel room had been booked for us. We thanked her and got back into the same black car that brought us to the White House. When we arrived at the hotel, a bellboy showed us to our room.

Room, though, might be an understatement. It was a grand suite that looked fit for a king! Dad spent several hours watching the news. One clip that caught my attention mentioned another skirmish between two unknown forces in a rural area , with one side using powerful beam weapons. I can already see the alien nuts campaigning the notion that one side was aliens, while the other was our soldiers.

The following morning, Secret Service woke us again and told us that I would be taking a private jet to Tokyo. The ensuing flight took nearly thirteen very boring hours to land at the Naritta airport. It's a good thing I learned how to speak Japanese and read some kanji, because I didn't see anyone who could help me.

xxxxx

After passing through customs, I found the shuttle that would take me to the monorail station leading to the island the I.S.A. was located on. One uneventful bus ride later, and I was at the station. A surprisingly fast train ride after that took me to the island. I was looking around the station when I noticed someone I hadn't seen in several years.

"Mom?! What are you doing here?" I ask, thoroughly stunned.

She looks just like I remember. Brown hair down to her shoulders and warm brown eyes.

"I'm here to escort you to your class so you don't get lost." She replies, confirming that it is, in fact, my mother. I hope she was joking about the getting lost part. I'm not that bad.

"Not here at the station! Here at the Academy!" I respond, exasperated.

"I'm one of the teachers here, Justin." Mom replies, like its common sense.

"Okay, but why didn't you tell me or Dad? We haven't heard from you in years."

"I'm sorry. I've been so busy with work and the twins that I must've forgotten."

"Forgot?! How do you forget to talk to your husband and only son?" I ask, stunned by her statement.

"I suppose there is no excuse, is there?" she asks rhetorically.

 _At least she looks a little repentant._ I think.

"Nope."

"Is Michelle and Alice doing okay? Do they still hate me?" I ask hesitantly.

My younger sisters fully bought into the whole 'We are women and since we can pilot I.S. and you men can't, you must obey us' idea. Since I refused to obey them, unless the instructions were from Mom or Dad, my sisters started to hate me. When Mom left for the second Mondo Grosso, she took the twins with her. We didn't separate on good terms. We've rarely seen each other since.

I don't understand how that whole 'We are women and better than you men because we can pilot I.S.' idea came about. It doesn't make much sense. I mean, only like 100,000 women can actually pilot an I.S.. Even less will actually get the chance.

"Yes, they're doing fine. Sadly, they do still hate you. I've been trying to get them to stop, but they won't." Mom answers.

"So, are you homeschooling them? I heard that the I.S. Academy doesn't accept anyone under fifteen years old." I try changing the subject. I'd rather not talk about how my younger sisters hate me.

"No, the high-school side of the Academy won't accept anyone under fifteen, but the middle-school side will."

"Huh, I didn't know there was a middle-school portion to the I.S.A." I'm honestly surprised.

While everyone knows and talks about the high-school portion of the Academy, I've never heard anyone mention the middle school portion. It must be pretty secretive. As we've been talking, Mom's been walking me toward my classroom.

"The island, while small, has enough room for a small middle-school. There are only a few hundred students compared to the roughly two thousand students in the high-school, though. The middle-school is highly selective and will only select the best. As the students are still young, there aren't very many who can pass the entrance exams. Also, anyone selected for the middle-school will automatically graduate into the high-school. Michelle and Alice will be attending the high-school next year." Mom explains.

I suppose I'll meet them, then, if I can survive my first year here.

xxxxx

"Well, here we are, Class 1-1. Wait out here until you're told to enter." Mom orders once we stopped in front of a classroom.

A minute later, my name is called, so, taking that as my queue, I open the door to the classroom, walk in, and introduce myself.

"Hello. I'm Justin Steach, it's nice to meet you. Please take care of me." I finish up with what I hope is a passable bow.

I tried to copy the different anime I had watched. Judging by the smiles on the girl's faces, I assume I did all right. At that moment, it hits me that I'm the only male student in a school filled with girls. I hope no one noticed that my smile became even more awkward at that thought.

"Steach-san, you can sit here." A young woman with green hair says, gesturing toward an empty desk in the middle of the first row.

"Okay, … " I trail off, not knowing the woman's name.

"Oh! Sorry! I'm Maya Yamada, your Assistant Homeroom Teacher," the now-named Yamada-sensei answers.

"Okay then, Yamada-sensei. Are you the Homeroom Teacher, Mom?" I ask.

"No, I'm just substituting for your Homeroom Teacher until she arrives. And please call me Steach-san while at the Academy." Mom responds.

Several of my classmates started murmuring to themselves and each other when it was confirmed that I was Steach-san's son. Many sounded surprised and I heard someone say that they didn't know Mom had a son. I don't understand what's so surprising about it. I even heard someone say, "I wonder if that has anything to do with him being the only male in the world to be able to pilot an I.S." to girl in front of her.

While this was going on, another woman walks in. She was rather tall and had black hair that reached down to her hips and sharp, brown eyes.

"Oh! You're back! Does that mean the meeting is over already?" Yamada-sensei asks her.

"That's right Yamada-san. I'm sorry for making you two welcome my class for me." the woman answers.

"Thank you, Amanda-san. I'll take over now," she tells Mom.

I recognize her as Chifuyu Orimura. She confirmed this as soon as Mom left.

"Alright class. I'm your Homeroom Teacher, Chifuyu Orimura. It's my job to train you well enough to stand on your own feet in one year." Orimura-sensei starts. She seems rather strict.

This was quickly followed by most of my classmates squealing and saying things like: "Onee-sama!", "It's really Chifuyu-sama!", and "She was the one who inspired me to come to this school from Kyushu. I'd die for you!" The last one kinda disturbed me. That comment might be a little over-the-top.

Being in the front row, I heard Orimura-sensei sigh and say to herself, "I'm amazed how many nut-jobs come to this school every year. Do they put all the loonies in my class on purpose?" I have to agree. So far, all my classmates seem to really put the fan in fanatic.

"That's enough!" Orimura-sensei yells. "Your syllabus for the next six months begins with memorizing all data concerning the I.S. After that, practical training, where you'll have two weeks to master the basic maneuvers. So, have you got that? Even if you don't, say, "Yes, Ma'am.""

We all respond with a "Yes, Ma'am!"

xxxxx

"Now, as I'm sure all of you are already aware, I.S. actually stands for Infinite Stratos. It's a multi-form suit originally developed in Japan. When it was first conceived ten years ago, it was originally designed to be used on outer space. However, those plans are currently on hold. Due to the Alaska Treaty, the I.S. is also prohibited from being used by the military. Therefore, it is used solely for competitions and sporting events. And our I.S. Academy is the only education institute in the world established with the objective of training I.S. pilots." Yamada-sensei says, starting the lesson.

By now, the nervous energy I had was wearing off, and I was beginning to fall asleep since I had been awake for nearly twenty-four hours.

"Students from all around the world come to this school, where young people from a multitude of countries get to live, work, and study side-by-side every day, as they hone and perfect their piloting skills. So, starting today, lets all study hard over the next three years!" Yamada-sensei finishes.

xxxxx

During the first break, while I was fighting valiantly to stay awake, I heard several girls talking about me. When I looked towards the hallway, where the voices were coming from, I saw several dozen first-year students. They were gawking at me like I was some kinda zoo animal.

As I try to ignore them, one of my classmates walks up to me. She was rather pretty. She was tall, had brown hair in a ponytail that reached her waist, and blue eyes.

"Are you okay?" she asks me.

It was nice to know that someone here was concerned about me. Maybe the next three years won't be _quite_ as bad as I thought they would be.

"I'm fine. Just tired. **"** I yawn on queue. **"** I haven't slept in nearly twenty-four hours. By the way, who are you? I missed the class introductions." I answer. I was trying to be a little funny but I think it came out rather sarcastically.

"That's no good," she lets out a huff, like she was disappointed in me. Whether it was from not sleeping or being sarcastic, I don't know.

"I'm Houki Shinonono."

"Shinonono? Are you, perhaps, related to Tabane Shinonono?" I ask.

"Uhh … yeah." Houki responds.

"She's my older sister." She sounds kinda upset about that. I wonder why?

Right then, the bell signaling that class was starting again rang.

xxxxx

Yamada-sensei started the lesson again, this time talking about the different parts of an I.S.. I tried to stay awake— Really! I did!— but lost the battle and started nodding off. Somehow, I dozed through the entire lesson undetected. I was woken up when Yamada-sensei started calling my name.

"What?!" I bolt upright, Yamada-sensei having accidentally startled me.

"Do you have any questions, Steach-san?" she asks politely.

Somehow, my small cat-nap has still gone undetected, even though Yamada-sensei was practically in my face.

"Uhh, no, ma'am." I answer.

"Well, if you do have any questions, just ask me, okay. I am your teacher after all." Yamada-sensei responds cheerfully.

"Um, well … " I trail off while raising my hand.

"Yes? Don't be shy," she encourages with a smile.

"I don't understand any of this." I respond desperately, still trying to cover up the fact that I had slept through the entire lesson.

"What?" Yamanda-sensei exclaims. She looks kind of worried.

"Not any of it? Is there anyone else here who doesn't understand what we've covered so far?" she asks the entire class.

No one responds. I'm kind of hurt that no one will stand up for me.

"Steach-san, did you read the reference manual before school started?" Orimura-sensei asks.

"Umm … which one was that?" I ask in response.

This would probably be a good time to mention that I hadn't been given anything for school. Not even a uniform. I was currently wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and a blue, long-sleeved collared shirt buttoned all the way up with only the top button not buttoned. It was un-tucked though.

"It was the one that said 'Required Reading' on it," she responds sarcastically.

"Never seen it. It was probably in the group of things I failed to receive." I answer honestly.

Orimura-sensei looks like she wants to hit me with her clipboard but decides to look annoyed instead.

"I'll get you a new copy then. And I expect you to have the whole thing memorized within a week," she tells me.

"Okay!" I chirp with fake cheerfulness. "That's totally possible! I memorize entire fucking phonebooks in a week for fun!" I respond. The sarcasm is practically dripping off the words.

One thing about me you should probably know is that I get really sarcastic when I'm tired.

"Oh, good. Then this should be easy for you." Orimura-sensei says. Shit, it seems my sarcasm backfired on me.

"Yes ma'am." I respond helplessly.

"Well, then. Let's continue with class. Please turn to page 12 in your text books." Yamada-sensei restarts the lesson nervously.

xxxxx

During another break, a beautiful blonde walks up to my desk.

"May I have a moment?" she asks politely. I notice she has a British accent.

"Huh..." I look at her sleepily.

"What sort of response is _that_? You should be honored that I bothered speaking to you in the first place. Don't you think you should behave in a more appropriate manner?" she responds haughtily, looking offended.

"Hey, I don't even know who you are. Shouldn't you introduce yourself first?" I ask, annoyed.

She slams her hands down on my desk. "Huh!? You don't know who I am!? I'm Cecilia Alcott, England's Representative Contender, the one who scored highest in the entrance exam!" she exclaims, looking even more offended.

"I've got a question." I respond with fake politeness.

"Well, it's the responsibility of nobles to answer queries from the lower classes. Do go ahead."

 _How can she be this arrogant?_ I think.

"What's a representative candidate?" I ask, confused. "I've never heard of 'em before."

This causes several of my classmates to fall over their desks. Cecilia looks horrified and is stuttering.

"This is unbelievable!" she finally responds, putting a finger in my face. I'm tempted to bite at it, but decide that it would be inappropriate.

"I can only hope every American man is not this utterly devoid of knowledge. I mean, it's nothing more than commonsense, honestly," she responds dramatically.

"So... you don't know?" I throw out.

She gives me a very arrogant look while crossing her arms.

"They are the chosen elites, selected by their countries to represent them as I.S. pilots. Surely, you should be able to deduce that from the name alone."

"That makes sense, I suppose." I reply, cupping my chin in one hand.

"That's right! I am one of the elite! It's a true miracle and your good fortune to get to be in the same homeroom with some like me. Oh! What an incredibly lucky boy you are! Did that get through that thick skull of yours, hm?" she finishes, still being dramatic.

I wonder if she went to drama class at her previous school?

"Yep! I'm really lucky then!" I respond with more sarcasm.

"Wait **.** Are you making fun of me now?" she asks.

"You're the one who said I was lucky, blondie." I deflect the blame back to her.

"First of all, I would like to know how you managed to enter this school with no knowledge about anything. I _heard_ that you're the only male who can control an I.S., but you've been such a terrible disappointment," she says, changing the subject.

It seems she either didn't hear my blondie comment or chose to ignore it.

"Sorry to disappoint you, ojou-sama." I mutter to myself.

"Hmph. Well, in any case, since I'm so remarkable, I can still find it in my heart to be considerate towards people such as yourself. So if you do have questions, I wouldn't mind answering them for you if you would plead with tears in your eyes. After all, I did defeat an instructor during the entrance exam, which means that I'm an elite amongst the elite."

Man! How arrogant can this girl be?

"How magnanimous of you!" is my sarcastic reply.

"By the way, I also defeated an instructor." I deadpan.

"What!?" Cecilia exclaims.

"Well, it was kind of by technicality since I knocked her into a wall." I explain.

"B-but, I-I've been told I was the only one." Cecilia whines.

"Sucks. I don't really give a damn."

This girl is really getting on my nerves.

"Wait! Are you telling me you also defeated the instructor?" she asks.

"Isn't that what I just said? Calm down." I respond as she gets in my face.

"Calm! How can I be calm with this insult!" she replies hotly.

The bell rings, signaling the end of the break.

"We will be continuing this conversation later. Do you understand?" she tells me as she walks back to her desk.

 _What an arrogant bitch. I suppose beauty is only skin deep with her, huh. Her personality was rather ugly._ I think to myself.

xxxxx

 _Finally! School's over!_ I think to myself as the bell rings.

I stay behind for a few minutes so I could ask Orimura-sensei a question privately.

"Orimura-sensei? You wouldn't happen to know which room I'm staying in would you?"

"That's right, you just arrived this morning." Orimura-sensei says to herself as she walks to the podium at the front of the classroom.

"Here. This is your room number and key," she says, holding a small envelope out to me.

I grab it, and take a look. It is indeed my room number and key.

"Thank you, Orimura-sensei." I tell her.

"You're welcome." was her curt reply.

I was excited to get to my room so I could get some sleep. That excitement was only dampened slightly by the crowd of girls following me. After what felt like an eternity, I had somehow managed to lose my followers— _stalkers_ — and get to my room, room number 1025.

xxxxx

As I stood in front of my room, I debated whether I should knock or not. Coming to the conclusion that I wouldn't be put in a room with a girl, I unlocked the door and walked in.

I was amazed at how nice the room was. A kitchenette was in the small entry hallway and in the main portion of the room there were two comfortable looking beds with two desks across from them on the opposite wall. Each desk had a PC and TV. On the same wall the beds were on, there was a door, which was closed, that I assumed led to the bathroom. There was even a balcony!

"Is someone out there?" I hear a voice call from behind the closed door.

I immediately started panicking. The bastards in charge really _did_ put me in a room with a girl. I started looking around for somewhere I could hide.

"Oh hey, you must by my roommate. I've been looking forward to your company this year," the voice says.

Before I could hide, the door opens and a girl wrapped in a towel walks out. I promptly did the smart thing and closed my eyes.

"Sorry for meeting you like this, but I just got out of the shower. My name is Houki Shinonono." Houki introduces herself.

I heard her gasp, and I assumed she was going to scream.

"J-J-Justin?!" Houki asks.

"My eyes are closed and covered. I can't see a thing. Please don't hit me." I whimper out the last part.

"What are you doing in here?!" She yells at me.

"This is my room!" I yell back.

"And please tell me when it is safe to look." I quickly add.

For the next few minutes, I hear clothes rustling. As mush as I want to look, my survival instincts are screaming that if I do, I'll be dead before I can leave the room.

"You can look now." Houki tells me.

She sounds upset, not that I can blame her, I'm rather upset myself.

"Thanks." I respond as I open my eyes.

Houki is wearing what looks like a kendo uniform, and her hair is down. I notice that it reaches her knees when not in a ponytail. She looks prettier with her hair down.

"So, now, it turns out that you're my roommate." she begins coldly while putting her hair up in a ponytail. Aww, I liked it down.

I wonder where the concerned girl from earlier is.

"Yep." I agree.

"Just what are you up to?" she asks.

"Wha-" is my elegant response.

"I _asked_ you, what are you-" she starts.

"I heard you. I'm not up to anything. This is the room I was given. I'm just as upset as you are." I cut Houki off.

"Don't you know that mixing genders past age seven is just wrong! You requested this room didn't you? You asked them to put us in here together." Houki accuses.

"Houki, this time yesterday, I was in Washington D.C. watching the news with my Dad. I haven't had the _chance_ to request a room." I tell her calmly.

I'm too tired to be very upset right now and those beds look really soft.

"I suppose." Houki concedes.

"If we're going to be sharing the same room, we'll need to set some ground rules. First, I'll use the shower between 7-8 PM, and you can use it from 8-9."

"Whaat? What if I want to use it before then?" I ask her.

"Are you asking me not to shower after my club activities?" Houki seems to be getting annoyed again.

"Club activities? What club activities?" I ask.

"Yes. I'm in the Kendo club. While there are showers in the locker rooms, I don't really feel relaxed unless I shower in my own room," she responds.

"Point taken. I don't have club activities, though, so why don't I just make sure not to be using the shower at that time." I say, trying to compromise.

"Fine!" Houki reluctantly agrees.

"Can we go over the other rules tomorrow, please? I would like to shower and go to sleep." I ask.

"Very well." Houki sighs.

"Thank You. Feel free to keep calling me Justin. As long as I can call you Houki, at least."

"Okay."

After quickly showering, I head to bed. While I was in the shower, Houki claimed the bed closest to the balcony. That left the one by the bathroom as mine. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow, and I didn't wake up until Houki woke me up at seven the next morning.

xxxxx

"Two weeks from today, you will be asked to choose your representative for the class tournament. A class representative not only competes in the tournament, but also attends student council meetings and committee meetings. Essentially, it's your class leader, okay. I will now take nominations. Any suggestions?" Orimura-sensei explains as the school day comes to a close.

"I'd like to nominate Steach." one girl says.

"So, is there anyone else? If not, he'll be elected without a vote." Orimura-sensei asks.

"Hey! I don't want to be class representative!" I exclaim.

Before Orimura-sensei can respond, Cecilia stands up.

"I do not approve of this! This type of selection is utterly unacceptable!" she says.

 _Yes! Keep going. You can be class rep! Go Cecilia!_ I mentally cheer.

"It would be shameful to have a boy as a class representative." Despite this I keep mentally cheering her on.

"You can't possibly expect that I, Cecilia Alcott, should have to deal with that humiliation for an entire year. In the first place, just living in a country with such an underdeveloped level of culture is unbearably painful to someone like myself! Let alone having such an uncivilized brute form the Colonies leading us. Oh, the agony!" and she was being dramatic again.

Now, I was upset. It was one thing to insult your host country and another thing to insult me.

"Oh. I didn't know England had much going for it." I started my rant. "You're so proud, yet you no longer have anything to be proud about. You became too fucking weak to hold on to your colonies or even win World War 1 or WW2. Even at its height, your glorious empire couldn't defeat us, Americans, when we fought for our independence! Are you, perhaps, still upset about that?"

Somewhere in the rant, I had switched to English. I didn't realize it until I heard some of the girls wondering what I had said.

"I can't believe you would have the audacity to insult my country!" Cecilia says, ignoring the fact that she was asking for it after insulting Japan and then me.

"This calls for a duel!" she exclaims.

"Challenge accepted. You can obviously talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?" I know it sounds lame, but it was the best I could think of at the time.

"Fine, but if you lose to me on purpose, I promise to make you my servant. No! I shall make you my slave!" Cecilia rants as she walks up to me.

"Fine. How much handicap will there be?" I taunt.

"Are you asking me for a favor already?" Obviously, she thinks I want her to go easy on me.

"Not for me, idiot! For you!" I yell.

At this, everyone else burst out laughing. They began talking about how I couldn't hope to defeat a woman between bouts of laughter.

"As a matter of fact, I should be the one wondering about giving you a handicap. American boys are so humorous, aren't they?" Cecilia laughs.

"Hey, if you're nice, a real lady might still give you that handicap you know," the student behind me whispers to me.

"Fuck that! I don't need a handicap." I tell her.

"That looks like that's settled then. The competition will be staged in Arena Three, which, I believe, is available Monday. Steach, Alcott, I expect you to come fully prepared for combat." Orimura-sensei says, finalizing the duel.

xxxxx

"What were you thinking?! Do you want to get humiliated?!" Houki yells at me once we're back in our room.

It seems the concerned girl is back. Yay!

"No! I admit, I may have overreacted a little, but it doesn't matter now. I'd rather be humiliated than be called a coward." I respond.

"So, what do you know about her?" Houki asks.

"Not much aside from the fact that she's pretty strong. I plan to spend the time between now and Sunday gathering as much information as I can, though. Knowledge is power, after all." Houki seems rather impressed that I have a plan.

"It's not much, but I guess it will do," she says.

"Oh! Hey, after the duel, do you think you could teach me kendo? I've wanted to learn it for several years now." I ask Houki.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I guess I could. Be prepared though, I'm not going to go easy!" Houki responds.

"Fine by me." I accept.

xxxxx

During the two days leading up to the duel, I gather as much information as I can. Finally, on Monday, I find myself in a side-room of one of the hangars of Arena Three with Houki.

"So what did you find out?" she asks.

"What I've been told is that Cecilia has a personal I.S. called the 'Blue Tears' and that it is a long-range/sniper-type I.S." I tell her.

"Hm. Okay, I have the same information." Houki responds.

"Steach, come here. You need to get suited up and into your I.S." Orimura-sensei call me into the hangar.

Upon entering, I found something that surprised me a lot!

 **A/N: And that's chapter one. Please read and review. Feel free to critique me, but no flames.**


	3. Chapter 3 XCOM's First Mission

**A/N: So here's the first fully XCOM chapter. I apologize for not including anything for XCOM in the last chapter, but it was already written. From now on, I'm going to try to write one I.S. chapter and then one XCOM chapter until the story shifts completely over to XCOM. So this chapter pretty much introduces XCOM. For those who have played the tutorial for XCOM, this chapter should be easily recognizable. The names of the soldiers probably aren't correct, but right now, I'm not to concerned. Once I finish my play through of XCOM 2, I'm going to go through and play XCOM again. At that point, I'll do some edits for this chapter to make it more accurate.**

 **For those of you who might get confused about how they are speaking over the radios, I'll explain. In the navy, when we use radios, you say who you are calling first, then who you are. For example: Voodoo One, XCOM Command. Voodoo One is who is being called and XCOM Command is the one who is calling. This is done because there will be several people on the same radio channel, so this way, everyone knows who is talking to who. And CHENG is short for Chief Engineer.  
**

 **Until I get a Beta, I'm going to be posting these chapters as is. The grammar should be pretty good, but it won't be like the first two chapters.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Infinite Stratos in anyway, nor do I own XCOM. XCOM belongs to Fireaxis and Infinite Stratos belongs to** **Izuru Yumizuru. I am not making any profits by writing this story. It is purely for fun.**

 **May 21, 2015**

 **Unknown Location**

"Hello, Commander. You have been chosen to lead the defense against the alien threat."

Commander John Simmons didn't think he would ever forget those fateful words. When he was first informed of his new orders, he thought it was a prank. Aliens, really? Did they think he was a kid still? Then he was shown the evidence. After-action reports, videos, and mission reports.

Dozens of missions from across the globe by different nations. Some of them detailed battles against little gray aliens that wielded what seemed to be plasma weapons. The majority of the reports, sadly, only really mentioned that the team or teams sent in, never came back and were thus assumed to be KIA. Even when teams returned, they had taken upwards of 90% death rate.

Before now, he had been a general in the British army and had served with distinction in Iraq and Afghanistan while a JO. As such, when he saw that even the elite Spetznaz and US Navy SEALs were being slaughtered, he knew that it wasn't just bad leadership or rookie mistakes causing these losses. That's why he ultimately accepted the position as Commander of XCOM. He hoped he could reduce the number of casualties sustained on every mission.

Now, though, he was being lead to the CIC of the first of, hopefully, many XCOM bases by Central Officer Bradford. Normally, he would be given a full tour of the facility and introduced to the other Department Heads, but XCOM had gotten an emergency communication from the Council. Apparently, the aliens had dropped into Munich, Germany and had begun attacking anything that moved. The Germans had responded by sending in a team of SpecOps. The last word they had on the team was that their helo had gone down. The Council decided that this would be the perfect chance to give XCOM their first mission. XCOM would send in a team to discover that status of the German SpecOps team and eliminate any hostile threats. Commander Simmons had instantly agreed and had chosen the team himself. They were in the air before he had even stepped on foot into the base. Now, they waited for the team to arrive.

Ten years ago, the trip would likely have taken four hours or more. Today, it only took an hour. As the Skyranger- the VTOL aircraft XCOM acquired- arrived, Commander Simmons and Central Officer Bradford were able to get a glimpse of what had happened to the German helo. It was quite obvious that it had crashed or had been shot down. What wasn't so obvious was what had happened to the SpecOps team.

"Bradford, have the team put boots on the ground. We need to find out what happened down there." Simmons ordered.

"Yes sir. Voodoo One, XCOM Command. Put boots on the ground." Bradford relayed.

"XCOM Command, voodoo One. Putting boots on the ground."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Delta Team, Voodoo One. Drop in one mike." the pilot of Skyranger One called over the VTOL's internal comms.

The strike team, Delta, spent that time double and triple checking their gear. Once the minute was up, the team of four repelled out of the aircraft.

Immediately upon hitting the ground, two of the team members took the closest bit of cover they could find so as to cover their two other teammates as they sprinted ahead to better cover. After them, the first two moved up. One of them was able to see a trail of blood on the right side of the street.

"Command, Delta Three. I've got a blood trail here. Permission to investigate?" Delta Three, Rookie Kurokawa, requested.

"Delta Three, XCOM Command. Permission granted. Be careful."

Rookie Kurokawa proceeded to investigate the source of the blood trail. What she found was disturbing to say the least.

"Command, Delta Three. I've got a body here. It appears to be one of the German SpecOps. Seems something... burst out of her. She also appears to be rather young. Maybe fifteen or sixteen with silver hair and red eyes. Why would the Germans have someone this young in the military, let alone send them out here?"

"Bzzzzzt! Hilf mir! Hilf mir! Bzzzzzzzt!"

"Command, Delta Three. Did you hear that?"

"Delta Three, XCOM Command. We heard it. Dr. Vahlen do yo know what was said?"

"He said, 'Help me.' It seems to be coming from inside the building in front of your position, Delta Team." Dr. Vahlen translated.

"Delta Team, XCOM command. Check the building for survivors. Remember to stay in cover."

Bradford ordered.

"XCOM Command, Delta One. Roger, checking building now." Delta One, Rookie

Hernandez, acknowledged as team leader.

"Johnson, Hernandez. Check out that window. Report what you see." Hernandez ordered.

"Hernandez, Johnson. Roger. Moving now." Johnson moved up to the window, crouching so that only his head was visible.

"Hernandez, Johnson. I've got nothing visible from here. I suggest we go inside."

"Johnson, Hernandez. Copy. Simon, that door is in our way. Kick it down."

As soon as Hernandez said this, Simon ran up to the door, kicked it open, and moved inside to better cover.

"XCOM Command, Delta Four. I've got a visual on one of the missing SpecOps. He's still alive."

"Delta Four, XCOM Command. Roger, Delta Team, move up and get to cover inside the building. Delta Four, once they are in position, move up and confront the SpecOps member." Bradford ordered.

"XCOM Command, Delta Team. Copy that. Moving in now."

In seconds, Hernandez, Johnson, and Kurokawa had moved inside and were in position. Then Simon moved up.

Once he reached the light the SpecOps soldier was standing behind, he tilted it forward. The SpecOps eye's were a blank white and there was some kind of creature hiding behind him.

"What the f..." Simon started, but didn't get to finish.

In a sudden burst of movement, the SpecOps soldier brought his shotgun up and blasted Simon in the chest at point blank range. Simon was killed almost instantly when the 12 gauge shell tore through his armor and ripped his chest open, shredding his internal organs. Moments later, the SpecOps soldier primed a grenade.

"Grenade!" was shouted seconds before it went off, killing the soldier.

Then the aliens appeared. They looked just like the pictures of the Roswell Gray.

"I've got multiple contacts!" Kurokawa shouted.

"Johnson, on your left!" Hernandez shouted, but it was to late.

The alien there fired some kind of green energy weapon several times at Johnson, tearing through his armor and killing him.

"Grenade out!" Kurokawa yelled as she threw a grenade at the alien that killed Johnson.

The grenade exploded, killing the alien before it could escape.

Only moments later, another gray-skinned alien flanked Kurokawa and fired at her, killing her as effortlessly as Johnson had been killed.

"Shit! Johnson and Kurokawa are dead!" Hernandez reported, abandoning proper comms talk.

"Roger. See if you can flank that alien. Once in position, fire." Bradford ordered.

"Roger." Hernandez moved up to the large tanks that were right behind the alien.

Luckily, the alien appeared to be more interested in studying Kurokawa's corpse than paying attention to its surroundings. That worked fine for Hernandez. He lined up a shot with his Gauss rifle and fired an short burst. The rounds struck the alien, killing it easily.

After looking around, Hernandez reported in.

"XCOM Command, Delta One. I think that's all of them."

"Delta One, XCOM Command. Roger, head back to the Skyranger. We'll send in a separate team to collect the bodies. XCOM Command out."

As he walked back to the exfil point, Hernandez had only one thought on his mind.

 _I sincerely hope that not all missions go this badly._

 **XCOM HQ**

"If all missions go like this one, we'll need to keep up a steady recruitment rate. As it stands, our current recruitment rate won't be able to keep up. I believe a promotion is in order for Hernandez, wouldn't you say so, Bradford." Commander Simmons stated.

"Yes sir. I'll have the paperwork ready by the time he arrives, sir. While you wait, sir, I suggest you take a tour of the base. Our CHENG, Shen, and Chief Scientist, Dr. Vahlen, wished to speak to you when you arrived." Bradford suggested.

"I believe I will, thank you Bradford." Simmons thanked as he walked off.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A few minutes later, and with the help of signs posted around the base, Simmons found himself in the Engineering Department.

"Ah, good evening, Commander. I am the Chief Engineer, or CHENG for short, Chief Shen. It's nice to meet you." An older man greeted. He wore glasses and was balding, but appeared to be in prime shape.

"Good evening, Chief. I have an idea of what you do down here, but why don't you fully explain it to me."

"Very well. Here in Engineering, we build anything and everything this base will need. Armor, weapons, ammo, medical supplies; you name I, we can build it. We can also build new facilities lower in the base once we have excavated the areas. And if the eggheads up in the Science Department need a new toy built, we can build it. While our job is more complex than that, I won't bore you with the details. Do you have any questions, sir?" Shen explained.

"Not at the moment, but if I do, I know where to find you. Since I am short on time and still need to visit the Science Department, I am going to take my leave." the Commander replied.

"Feel free to visit anytime, Commander." Shen said as Simmons walked off.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Twenty minutes later, the Commander walked into one of the labs in the Science Department.

"My apologies about the procedures, Commander, but we have to make sure you aren't bringing in anything unwanted. I am the Chief Scientist, Dr. Vahlen. It's nice to officially meet you." Dr. Vahlen greeted. She was a middle aged woman with her brown hair in a ponytail over her shoulder.

"It's quite alright, Doctor. Why don't you show me around and explain to me what it is you do."

"Ah, yes. As you know we do all the research up here. The Science Department is divided into two divisions; the R&D division and the Biology division. As you can no doubt guess, the biology division will do all of the autopsies and biological experiments. The tech division, on the other hand, reverse engineers an alien tech we get and attempt to use it to create new and better armor and weapons. I would like to mention, Commander, that while I am the Chief Scientist, I am more of a biologist than a tech researcher." Vahlen explained.

"Thank you, Doctor. I should head to the barracks now. I have a promotion to give out and the recipient should be arriving soon." Simmons replied.

"COMMANDER, YOUR PRESENCE IS RESPECTFULLY REQUESTED IN THE HANGAR!" came over the base intercomm.

"I suppose I should head to the hangar instead." the ex-general said.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As he arrived at the hangar ten minutes later, the Commander of XCOM saw Voodoo One being lowered to the ground by the elevator. As soon as the elevator stopped, the rear hatch of the Skyranger opened and Hernandez walked out and saluted the Commander.

"At ease, soldier. You have my regrets for your team. As you are now our most experienced soldier, I have decided to promote you to Squaddie. Congratulations."

"Thank you, sir. There was nothing that could have been done. We underestimated those gray-skinned bastards and paid for it. We'll know better in the future." Ramirez replied.

"Yes, we will. Now go get some R&R, you deserve it." Simmons ordered.

"Yes sir!" Ramirez saluted before walking off in the direction of the barracks.

 **A/N: I should post the second chapter soon, tonight hopefully. And I did refer to the German Supersoldier program that Laura Bodewig is part of. The unlucky SpecOps that they found dead was one of her "older sisters".**

 **With Dr. Vahlen, I did what I did on purpose. By the time the story really gets going, I plan on having somebody else be the head of the R &D Division, while Dr. Vahlen heads the Biology side. **

**After tonight, don't expect any chapters for a while as I will not have internet for an indefinite amount of time. Once I get internet, I will post whatever chapters I have written.**


	4. Chapter 4 The Duel

**A/N: And here's the second I.S. chapter. I don't really have anything to say here. I'm writing the next I.S. chapter right now. Once it's finished, I'll write the second XCOM chapter. I plan on making the chapters slightly different. This chapter and the first I.S. chapter are, more or less, taken exactly from the episodes. For the chapter that includes the drone, enough of it is going to be completely different that I won't be able to follow the episode as well. The Charlotte episodes might be followed more accurately, though. After them, I will have to go off of memory as I only have the first six episodes and they don't introduce Laura.  
**

 **Sorry about the wait. While this isn't a new chapter, I have changed a few things. The chapter itself didn't change much, but the I.S. did. I've done a lot of thinking and decided to change what the Blaze Luminous looks like since I didn't really like what it looked like before. I also have XCOM reinstalled after it stopped working, so the XCOM chapters will be following the missions.**

 **So I've lost my notebook with my next chapter in it. I'm trying to find it but no luck so far. If I find it, I'll finish the chapters up and post them. And yes, I lost a lot of motivation to write this story. I blame Touhou. The games can be addictive.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Infinite Stratos in anyway, nor do I own XCOM. XCOM belongs to Fireaxis and Infinite Stratos belongs to** **Izuru Yumizuru. I am not making any profits by writing this story. It is purely for fun.**

The Duel

The I.S. I saw inside was amazing. It was a gunmetal gray, common for units in default format. The arms sharp angles with clawed fingers, with the legs that were also sharp angles and corners. On the back was a single longsword. I was amazed that this was going to be my personal I.S.. The wing modules each had a single "blade" where the thrusters were located.

"Steach, go back there and change into your training suit." Orimura-sensei tells me, pointing to a small closed off cubicle.

After quickly changing I walked back to the I.S.. I also notice that Mom, Houki and Yamada-sensei are waiting beside Orimura-sensei.

"It seems Tabane has taken an interest in you, Steach. This is your personal I.S. she built for you. It's called the Blaze Luminous. Suit up, we don't have time to go over the basics, so you will have to learn how to pilot it during the match." Orimura-sensei explains.

"My personal I.S.? Hey, Houki, tell your sister thank you for me next time you talk to her." I ask excitedly.

I would wonder why Tabane Shinonono built me a personal I.S., but I get the feeling that I don't want to know why.

Once I enter the suit, I hear a voice in my head, like when I first activated an I.S.. As soon as the Blaze Luminous activated, my senses were heightened. My vision got clearer and sharper, and my hearing got better. I could even see almost to the back of my head, though that was using peripheral vision.

 **[Pilot Recognition … Complete.]**

 **[Registration Complete. Pilot Lock Activated.]**

 **[Initial Activation Started.** Hello, I am Omega, the AI for the Blaze Luminous.]

 _So the voice has a name this time._ I think.

[Yes. I do have a name.] Omega responds.

"Gah! How did you read my thoughts!" I exclaim in surprise.

[Because the I.S. is controlled through a nuero-link, I am able to access your surface thoughts.] Omega explains.

[Subsequently, only you can hear me.] Omega continues.

"Great! Now everyone will think I'm crazy." I mutter.

That statement seems to be true already, as the other four occupants of the room are giving me strange looks.

 _So, if I just think what I want to say, you'll here me Omega?_ I think.

[Yes.]

 _Okay, then. Are you a girl or a boy?_ I ask stupidly.

[I am a girl.] Omega responds.

 _Wait. I know what I just asked, but how can an AI have a gender?_

[It is because of the I.S. core. It allows me to have a sense of self.] she tells me.

 _If you say so._

"If you're done standing around, I suggest you head out to the arena. The match begins in thirty seconds and if you're not out there, you automatically forfeit." Mom informs me.

Needless to say, I quickly stepped onto the catapult which launched me into the arena. Cecilia was already hovering there, waiting for me. I was finally able to get a look at the Blue Tears. It was, as its name suggests, blue. The legs went up to her thighs and the arms ended at her elbows. Two thrusters were attached to her waist. She also had three wing moduless on either side of her.

"Just so you know, this is your last chance!" Cecilia tells me as soon as I stabilize.

"Last chance for what?" I ask.

"It's obvious to everyone that I'm going to defeat you overwhelmingly. So why not simply apologize to me right now and I just might be able to forgive you." she explains.

" How about … NO!" I yell to her.

"Too bad for you. Now then," Cecilia says as she starts to move.

At the same time, a message popped up saying -Warning- Enemy is Entering a Firing Position.

"Time to say goodbye!" Cecilia finishes saying as she fires her beam rifle at me.

Unluckily, I'm unable to react in time and get hit. After falling several dozen feet, I stabilize and start dodging shots. Several shots still connect, though, and I can see my shield energy trickling down. It quickly becomes apparent that I would need to get in close to Cecilia if I want to win.

As I dodge, I begin to lose focus on what's around me when alarms start suddenly blaring from the Blaze Luminous. I look up and notice a beam heading right for my face. Desperately, I reach for the sword on my sheer, dumb luck, I deflect the beam as I drew the sword.

Emboldened by the lucky save, I begin flying towards Cecilia while continuing to dodge her shots. The closer I get, the more worried Cecilia looks. Suddenly, when I was fifteen meters away she smirks and four of the spikes on her wing modules detach and start flying around and shooting at me. Surprised, I take several hits before I start dodging again. This time though, I'm not able to dodge most of the shots fired.

After dodging several more times, one of the drones comes close enough to slash at, so I do so, cutting it in half which caused it to explode.

Realizing what I needed to do, I flew towards another drone and cut it apart. After the drones destruction, Cecilia recalls the remaining two drones and begins shooting at me again.

 _Huh. It doesn't look like she's moved since deploying her drones._ I think as I wildly dodge the shots fired at me.

After failing to hit me several times in a row, Cecilia stops and launches the remaining two drones. This time, I am able to dodge most of the shots. While I dodge, I also continuously glance at Cecilia.

 _It seems that she can't move while her drones are deployed._

With this thought in mind, I proceed to cut down the last two drones. I then fly straight at Cecilia before she can start firing at me again. As soon as I close within five meters of her, Cecilia smiles triumphantly.

"Did you really think those were the only ones I had?" she asks rhetorically as the two "thrusters" on her waist lift up, revealing two barrels. A missile was then fired from each one.

Thinking quickly, and getting incredibly lucky, I fly straight at the missiles, narrowly avoiding them. I continued to fly towards Cecilia, dodging around her at the last moment.

I have the satisfaction of hearing the missiles explode upon slamming into Cecilia. I turn around and smirk at her. She looks very annoyed.

"Hahahaha! I can't believe that worked!" I laugh. Cecilia just looks even more annoyed.

[I know, but that was incredibly risky, Justin.] Omega berates me.

 _It worked, though, didn't it?_

[Look Out!] Omega yells.

"Wha-?!" was all I could get out before I was shot.

Now it was my turn to be annoyed.

I quickly rush Cecilia and start slashing at her. She brings her Starlight Mk. III up to block and I promptly cut through it. In response, she brings out an Interceptor, a blade used for self-defense. Cecilia is able to block most of my strikes, but enough get through her guard that her shield points start to steadily drop.

When it looks like I'm going to be victorious, Cecilia manages to kick me away and fire two more missiles. The missiles ram into me before I can respond and explode.

As the smoke clears, I hear the horn go off.

"Winner: Cecilia Alcott!" I distantly hear the announcer say.

My attention, though, has been grabbed by a pop-up message saying 'Format Setting Complete'. There was a burst of light and I found myself encased in armor, helmet included.

The helmet was had sharp angles and looked rather futuristic. There was black glass in a "V" where the eyes would have been located. Inside the helmet was a full HUD. It showed my shield energy, my opponents shield energy, a motion tracker, and equipped weapons.

The armor on my arms and legs remained full of sharp angles. The gauntlets didn't change form, though they did change color. The hands were black with crimson on the knuckles. The entire I.S., with the exception of the hands and feet (which were black with red outlines), was pure white with gold outlines. Even the sword hilt changed to white while the hand guard was gold.

The wing modules were also upgraded. Instead of one blade-like wing on each side, there were now four such wings on each side.

There were also several new weapons. There were two protrusions on either shoulder that the Blaze Luminous called beam sabers. Located in the armor were two vibro-knives. A beam rifle similar to the Starlight Mk. III was in quantum storage.

"What?! You fought the entire battle in the default setting?!" Cecilia screamed.

"Yes." was my succinct reply.

"B-bu-b-bu-but … " it seems Cecilia can't wrap her head around that. It makes sense, though. I nearly defeated her with a default I.S..

As soon as I landed, the Blaze Luminous entered its closed state. The form it took was a necklace with a silver pendant. The pendant was a long-sword with wings on either side.

As I walk farther into the hangar, Houki runs up to me and hugs me.

"Are you okay?" she asks worriedly.

"He's fine. The I.S. saved him." Orimura-sensei responds before I can. I wonder if its okay to call her Chifuyu-sensei, instead.

Mom doesn't look to worried. She must have been expecting me to be okay.

"Umm, are you upset?" Houki asks me.

"No. Why would I be upset?"

"Well, you DID lose to Cecilia." Houki tells me.

"Nah! I had a lot of fun during the fight. Besides, I didn't want to be class representative to begin with." I explain.

"Oh, okay." Houki sounds relieved about that.

Xxxxx

The next day, Chifuyu-sensei gathered the entire class in one of the arenas. While she and Yamada-sensei, I suppose I can call her Maya-sensei also, wore track suits, us students wore the training suits.

"Today, we will be learning the basics of how to pilot an I.S.. Steach, Alcott, your up." Chifuyu-sensei commands.

She probably chose us because we have personal I.S.'s. Cecilia quickly deployed Blue Tears, but I was having problems deploying Blaze Luminous. I quickly became fed up with its stubbornness.

"Blaze Luminous, Activate!" I yell. That seems to be the trick because it deploys as soon as I call its name.

" Now fly." Chifuyu-sensei orders.

Cecilia once again shows me up by taking off into the air smoothly, while I took a second to do so. Once I was airborne, I quickly flew out of control before figuring out how to fly.

"What's the problem, Steach? Your unit is faster than Alcott's." Chifuyu-sensei asks as I lag behind Cecilia.

"Easy for you to say. I'm still learning how to pilot this thing." I mutter.

Flying is not as easy as it looks. During my duel with Cecilia yesterday, Omega took care of the flying. Now, she refuses to, saying that I need to learn how to fly without her help.

[Well, you do. What if I'm not available one day? How would you fly then?] Omega asks.

 _Omega, if you're unavailable, that means the_ _Blaze Luminous_ _is also unavailable._

[Not necessarily. If I'm regulating your power consumption, then I will be unable to help you fly.]

 _Why would you need to regulate my power consumption?_

"Justin!" I hear Cecilia yell from beside me. _When did she get there?_

"Yes!" I respond.

"As I was saying, Justin, an image is nothing more than an image. It will be far more productive to figure out the method easiest for you." she advises.

"How does that help? I'm still learning how to fly." I reply.

"Well, uh, if your interested, I'd be happy to give you lessons every day after school." Cecilia offers.

"Hm." I say, thinking over her offer.

"And when I do, it'll be just the two of us." Cecilia says, just loud enough for me to hear.

"Alcott, Steach, perform a power dive." Chifuyu-sensei tells us over our comms.

"Very well." Cecilia says as she suddenly stops and shoots downwards.

Moments before she hits the ground, thrusters on her feet activate, slowing her descent down until she is able to land softly.

"That doesn't look very hard." I tell myself as I prepare to dive.

Seconds after I dive, I have a terrifying thought.

 _I don't know how to stop!_

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" I yell.

Unable to stop or slow down, I slam into the ground. Hard.

Houki runs up to the small crater I made and helps me out of it.

You're probably wondering how she could pull me, I.S. and all, out of the crater. Worry not! Even though Houki is really strong, she didn't have to pull the Blaze Luminous out of the crater.

Right after impact, Blaze Luminous closed. That's why Houki was able to help me out of the crater.

"Are you alright? You're not hurt anywhere are you?" Houki worries, checking me over for any injuries.

"I'm fine, Houki. Just a little sore." I assure her.

Cecilia ran up to me and pushed Houki away as I stood up.

"Justin, dear, are you alright? Perhaps I should take you to the infirmary." Cecilia says as she grabs my arm.

"Don't be stupid. You know as well as I do that you can't get hurt while in an I.S.." Houki tells Cecilia at the same time I Say, "Thanks, but I'm fine, really."

"OW!" "Idiot. Why didn't you stop?" Chifuyu-sensei asks me as she whacks me on the head with her clip board. I can already feel a bump forming.

"I would have if I knew how." I tell her as I rub my head where it was hit.

Class went back to normal after my mishap.

Xxxxx

That evening, during dinner, we held the class representative party.

"Congratulations on become class representative, Justin Steach!" my classmates yell as they popped confetti cannons, those little things they shoot confetti when you pull a string on the back.

"Someone, please explain to me how I became class rep.? I lost the duel, remember." I ask despondently.

"Why, because, out of the kindness of my heart, of course. I didn't think that it was fair for you, having never REALLY piloted an I.S. before. I decided to give the position to you." Cecilia explains.

"Yeah, right." I scoff.

"I bet you realized how difficult the job would be and decided to hand it off before you got stuck with it."

The look on Cecilia's face told me that I was right.

"Well, aren't you popular." Houki mutters darkly after several more classmates congratulate me.

As she was sitting close to my left side, I heard her clearly.

"It's not like I asked for this, ya know." I tell her.

She turns her face away from me in response.

 _How'd I make her angry THIS time._

A sudden flash startled Houki and I. When my vision cleared, I saw a girl holding a camera standing in front of our table. That must be where the flash came from.

"Hello! I'm from the Newspaper Club. I was hoping I could get a photo of you. Oh! You too, Alcott-san." the student asks.

"Sure./ I don't see why not." Cecilia and I agree.

We were positioned in front of a window and asked to shake hands. While I went to shake hands, Cecilia had another idea and grabbed my outstretched hand in both of hers.

Right before our picture was taken, Houki and the rest of our classmates photo-bombed it. Houki slipped between Cecilia and I, and our other classmates crowded in behind and beside us.

"What are you all doing in my picture!" Cecilia screams as soon as the picture is taken.

Our classmates don't even look the least bit apologetic. After another hour, the party begins to wind down, so Houki and I head back to our room.

 _I'm surprised nobody has tried to break in yet._ I think during the trek back to our room. Knowing Murphy's Law, though, someone probably will try to do so now.

Xxxxx

"I bet you enjoyed that, didn't you?" Houki asks as she gets ready for bed.

"Not really. I don't like being around a lot of people or getting a lot of attention. Would you have rather been in my place?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I would." Houki says as she throws her pillow at my face.

"What was that for?"

"I'm changing so don't look." she commands.

Despite telling me not to look, she still pulls out the divider between our beds.

"Why didn't you change while I was in the bathroom?" I ask. There was no reply.

After several agonizingly long minutes, during which I fought down the temptation to take a peek, Houki closes the divider.

"I'm done changing now." she informs me.

She's wearing her customary pink yukata that she sleeps in, but she has a red obi on this time.

 _That looks comfortable. I wonder where I can get one? It will need to be black, though, with a crimson obi. Maybe I should ask Houki where I can buy a yukata._

"Are you wearing a new obi?" I ask even though I already know the answer.

" Huh? Oh, yeah, I am. I can't believe you noticed." Houki says, blushing lightly.

"Of course I noticed. It looks very good on you." I compliment.

"Thank you." Houki says meekly, blushing even more at my compliment.

"Well, it's time to go to sleep!" Houki rushes, turning off the lights and climbing in bed.

"Um, Justin?" Houki asks quietly, several minutes later.

"Yes?"

"I'm, uh, I'm sorry. For earlier." she apologizes.

"It's fine, no need to apologize.

Houki doesn't respond, so she likely fell asleep.

Xxxxx

Before class started the next morning, several of my classmates were talking about the class tournament.

"The class tournament is next week, isn't it?" Honne Nohotoke asks. She has light brown her that reaches her shoulder and sleepy yellow eyes.

"Yeah, it is." I confirm. I'm excited for it because I'll get to fight again.

"There's nothing to worry about. Our class and class 1-4 are the only first-year classes with class reps who have personal I.S.'s." one of Honne's friends comments.

"Did you hear that class 1-2 got a new transfer student. I even heard their class representative changed." another classmate tells us.

"Your information is outdated!" a new voice says.

 _That voice sounds familiar. It couldn't be, could it?_

"I am Huang Lingyin, China's Representative Contender and class 1-2's new class rep." the voice says.

"Rin! It IS you!" I exclaim, surprised. Rin was the nickname my sisters and I gave her when we were little.

I hadn't seen Rin since her family moved back to China a year ago.

"The one and only! And don't expect me to go easy on you during the tournament!" Rin states proudly.

 _Bam!_

"Ow! What was that for?" Rin asks angrily after Orimura-sensei hits her on top of the head.

"Consider that your class bell." Orimura-sensei tells Rin.

"Okay!" Rin says as she runs off to her class.

Xxxxx

As I head to lunch, Rin finds me and tells me she is going to eat lunch with me.

"How've you been doing, Rin? Has China been treating you well?" I ask while we wait in line for our food.

"I'm fine, just lonely. China's okay, but it's not home. So, how have YOU been?"

"Pretty good. Dad and I moved recently, so I was getting lonely until I was sent here." I respond.

"You moved? Why?" Rin asks.

"Yeah. Dad got orders to Oklahoma. He also got promoted. He's a Colonel now." I explain.

"Cool! Tell him congrats when you next talk to him." Rin says as she gets her ramen from the cook.

"Moving sucked since I left the rest of our friends behind; but, since it ultimately let me see you again, it isn't all bad." I tell her with a smile.

"Yeah, well, now you know how I feel." Rin says as she blushes prettily.

 _It seems she still has tsundere-ish tendencies._ I think as we sit at an empty booth.

"Have you heard about the recent skirmishes between unknown forces across the planet recently?" I ask.

"I've seen it mentioned on the news, but that's it. Why? Do you think it could be the start of something big?" Rin replies.

"Just curious. And I hope it isn't. If something does start, its probably gonna be World War 3."

"So, how are your parents?" I ask to change the subject.

"Mom's doing well, and I think Dad's okay." Rin responds sullenly.

"You don't know how your father's doing? You two were pretty close before you moved." I ask in confusion.

"My parents got divorced soon after we moved." Rin answers.

"Oh! I'm sorry." I apologize.

"It's okay. You didn't know." Rin assures me with a smile.

This time, it's my turn to blush. Hey! I can't help it. I like girls like Rin.

"What is the meaning of this?!/ Who is she?!" Cecilia and Houki yell at me as they slam their hands on our table. Both of them look very upset.

"Don't tell me you're dating the transfer student!" Cecilia accuses.

"What?! No! It's nothing like that!" Rin exclaims in embarrassment.

"She's right. She's my childhood friend that I haven't seen in a while. I just want to catch up." I explain, trying to remain calm.

"Yeah! He used to eat at my house ALL the time." Rin adds.

"And WHY were you eating at her house?" Houki asks angrily.

"Yes, DO explain yourself." Cecilia demands.

"I refuse." I tell them, having lost my patience at hearing their demands.

"What?" Houki and Cecilia ask simultaneously.

"I refuse. Neither of you have any right to demand information about my private life." I start my rant.

"Cecilia, while we are not enemies, we are not friends either. So kindly leave me alone." I tell Cecilia coldly.

"Houki, since I consider us friends, I'll tell you about Rin. But do NOT demand information about my private life again if you want to remain my friend." I tell Houki, only a little less coldly.

"Okay." Houki replies softly, looking a little scared.

Cecilia hesitates from leaving for a few moments, so I give her a cold glare. This causes her to quickly retreat to another table looking quite hurt at my reaction.

"Wow! When did you get a backbone? You would have never done that before I left." Rin asks, sounding impressed.

"I suppose I've always had it. I just never had a reason to get so upset before. And you didn't have to egg them on, ya know." I tell her.

"Sorry. I just wanted to see their reactions." Rin explains, looking apologetic.

"Now, I said I would explain things, so I will." I begin to tell Houki.

"Rin and I grew up together. Her parents moved next door to my parents several months before we were born. The two of us, along with our little sisters, used to play in the woods behind our houses." I explain.

"Since we're best friends, it's natural that I would eat over at her house occasionally and she would eat over at mine." I finish right before the end of lunch bell rings.

Xxxxx

After class, I was in an empty arena with Houki preparing for my I.S. training when Cecilia walks up to us.

"What is the meaning of this?! And how did you get a training I.S. Shinonono-san?" she exclaims once she stops near us.

"I am helping Justin train for the class tournament." Houki explains like it was obvious what she was doing, which it was.

"You have to fill out paperwork to get a training I.S.." I answer for Houki.

"Nonsense! It is my job to train him. After all, _I_ Have a personal I.S." Cecilia replies arrogantly.

"And he asked ME to train him!" Houki replies.

"Shut Up!" I yell, my patience running thin.

"Cecilia, you offered to train me but I never agreed to it. Thank you for your consideration but your help is not required. Houki will be able to train me better since the Blaze Luminous is more of a close combat I.S." I calmly explain.

"Oh. Okay. Goodnight, then." Cecilia replies sadly.

"Do you think I've been to harsh on her, today?" I ask Houki once Cecilia is gone.

"Yes. Now let's begin your training." Houki answeres curtly.

Xxxxx

"I can't believe you lasted that long. Still, you need to get stronger if you want to win the tournament. C'mon, let's head back to our room." Houki compliments me after several hours of torture- I mean training!

"Well, are you coming?" Houki asks as I remain lying on the ground.

"You go on ahead. I'll head up there when I can feel my body again." I joke.

"Okay. I'll be using the shower first, then." Houki says as she walks away.

Several minutes later, I finally get up and walk to the locker rooms.

"Good job today! If you keep this up, you might actually stand a chance against me." Rin compliments as I sit at a bench.

"Thank you." I reply.

"Would you like a sports drink?" Rin asks, holding a bottle and a towel out to me.

"Yeah, thanks." I say as I grab the bottle and take a big drink of it.

"Um, Justin, can I ask you something?" Rins asks hesitantly.

"You just did, but yeah, ask away."

"Um, did you miss me? After I moved." Rin asks nervously.

"Of course I did, your my best friend! Why would you think I wouldn't miss you?" I respond, surprised at Rin's question.

"Oh, um, I was just worried, that's all." Rin says, sounding relieved.

"I should probably head to my room so I can shower and go to sleep. I'm exhausted. Hopefully Houki's finished showering." I say as I stand up.

"Why would you worry about whether Shinonono-san is finished showering?" Rin asks suspiciously.

"Hm? Because she's my roommate." I answer absentmindedly.

"Why is she your roommate?" Rin asks with even more suspicion.

"Haah … Because the higher-ups, bastards that they are, thought it would be okay to put a teenage boy in a room with a teenage girl." I sigh.

"Hmph! Fine!" Rin says.

I forgot that she can get jealous at times.

"Well, goodnight Rin." I tell her as I leave to my room.

"Goodnight Justin." Rin responds.

Xxxxx

" … And that's why we need to switch rooms." I hear Rin say as I walk out of the bathroom.

 _Why is Rin here?_

Once I can see her, I notice a pink dufflebag on the floor near her.

"I will not!" Houki responds hotly.

"But it must be so difficult to room with a boy, though." Rin says sweetly, trying to persuade Houki.

"I never said that! And besides, this matter is between me and Justin!" Houki stands firm in her conviction.

"He's MY childhood friend." Rin whines.

"No! I will not switch rooms!" Houki exclaims as she grabs her shinai and swings at Rin.

There's a flash and Houki's shinai is blocked by an I.S. arm.

"Impressive! A full partial deployment." I whistle.

"You know, if I was a normal person, that would have really hurt." Rin taunts Houki.

Houki puts her shinai down, looking apologetic.

"Hey, Justin? Do you remember the promise you made me right before I moved?" Rin asks cheerfully.

 _Hm. Promise. What promise? Oh, yeah! THAT promise!_

"Yep. I promised I would eat your sweet and sour pork if you became a better cook. Your treat, right?" I answer.

"Huh?! You didn't get the meaning?!" Rin exclaims as she gets is my face.

"Whoa! Hey! I'm joking, joking!" I reply, trying to deflect Rin's fury.

"I know what you meant when you made me promise that. You wanted me to be your boyfriend." I tell her.

"Good! So you did understand it." Rin says happily.

"Hey, Rin? I know I made that promise and all, but I'm not sure I can keep it the way you want me to." I tell her.

"Huh? Why not?" Rins asks.

"I would really like to go out with you, but I'm afraid that if I do and it doesn't work out, I'll lose my best friend. So for now, can we put a hold on the promise?"

"Oh. Um, okay. You'll still eat my cooking, right?" Rin asks sadly.

"Yeah. And we're still best friends." I tell her, trying to make her feel better.

"Yep! I'll see you at the tournament, Justin." Rins says, smiling.

As she turns to leave, though, I can see the tears in her eyes. My heart hurts when I see that I made her cry.

"Hey, Houki?" I ask after we climb into bed.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry for snapping at you during lunch." I apologize.

"Apology accepted." she responds.

As I climb into my bed, I already begin to feel depressed about making Rin sad.

 **A/N: So I am still working on the next several chapters. As I said in the authors notes at the top, XCOM:Enemy Unkown and Enemy Within stopped working so I wasn't able to play it and write the chapter off of it. I also lost some motivation to write for a couple of weeks but I'm back now. Hopefully I'll be done with the next chapter soon, so I can post them when I get internet again.**


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